A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker

This soft cover board book is a delightful change of pace from the usual Christmas books. One adorable child with Mom, Dad and baby sibling thank God for his/her gift of Christmas; naming each part of the nativity and their purpose .

The story is very easy to follow for any child; as it has a simple rhyming text. Each page ends with

"Thank You, God for ____, Your precious Christmas gift."

The child in the story collects his/her own toys and uses them to create his/her own nativity seen. Along the way describing what each parts contribution to this special Christmas gift was. Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the manger, the star and more are included in the scene.

The illustrations are soft and inviting. Plus the use of actual childhood objects grab a child's attention; as they imagine the use of their own toys to make a nativity scene.

What a wonderful and imaginative way to explain the true gift of Christmas(Christ) and each person or thing that played a part in that Christmas long ago.

Max Lucado------One Hand, Two Hands

Yet again, another wonderful children's book by author Max Lucado. This book uses beautiful rhyming text to let kids know how they can help with their hands. Key words, describing how our hands are used, such as button, pray, wash dishes and scratching are highlighted in contrasting colors; allowing the reader to really focus on that word. I think by favorite might be "flop'em". The illustrations are just adorable in this book. Pictures are used of a young girl and her animal friends to illustrate the wonderful truth about using our hands to help others whether they be our pets, our family and friends, or God.While reading this to my own children; they actually tried to physically do what the little girl in the story was doing with her hands. The detailed fun pictures and rhyming text kept them engaged. I especially loved the truth this story implicated for any age; our hands should be used for helping and not hurting. My children and I were also able to contrast the ways of helping in this book with ways that don't help or ways that our hands can hurt others. At the end of the book Mr Lucado also had a few pages on how our hands can be helping, kind or loving hands. This book uses a wonderful story to illustrate a biblical and moral truth to children about their hands and how they are used. What a wonderful tool for a parent, teacher, or church worker to use; and create even more discussion on how we treat others.

100 Prayers God loves to Hear 100 Praise Songs by Stephen Elkins

"God loves to Hear"...and he sure will enjoy the 100 prayers and praise songs packed into this 207 page book suitable for kids ages 2-7. There are 100 lessons on a multitude of spiritual topics. Each lessons consisit of a 2 page application with a prayer and bible verse or quote. Inluded are 2 cds filled with 100 praise songs that go along with each lesson; sung by kids.

What I like most about this book was the short application suitable for young and old; especially helpful for someone with multiple ages in their family. Each prayer was simple and engaging when I used it with my children. The illustrations were colorful and very child friendly.

I found the quality of the cd's to be a bit lacking. Although the song choices were great the sound was a little warbled and not as clear as I would have expected. Scripture quotations were taken from the Holy Bible New International version and the The New King James Version; so depending on your preference this could make a difference in your decision in purchasing.

Overall a great resources for families, homeschools, christians schools and churches.

A Stay-at-Home Mom's Complete Guide to Playgroups by Carren Joye

Carren Joye author of "Homeschooling more than one child", wrote this fantastic book about playgroups. Not only will it guide you on how to start a playgroup, but also gives you help on all the ins and outs of maintaining one. Whether you are a looking for an existing playgroup or want to start one of your own; this book will give you the tools to make a successful playgroup for your child.

What I loved the most about this book was the fact that it was packed full of tangible activities and step by step instructions for playgroups. Joye even gives you advice on overcoming problems and including parent interactions. Did I mention there is a list of Internet resources in the back and examples of playgroup fliers to distribute. This book could serve as a guideline to multiple types of playgroups including young children, homeschooling, stay at home Dads and special needs.

So if you have been thinking about starting a playgroup in your area, pick up this book. It can be found at amazon.com for $13.95.

http://www.amazon.com/Stay-at-Home-Moms-Complete-Guide-Playgroups/dp/0595146848/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280753807&sr=1-2

The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur

"The Jesus you can't ignore" is the first book I have read by author John MacArthur. This book gives examples of how Jesus calls out the Pharisees and religious leaders over their practices and traditions. MacArthur explains how Jesus chastens the religious leaders over adding laws and how their actions were self-serving.

I liked the fact that the author went through the chronological life of Christ when giving examples of how Christ responded and interacted with the Pharisees and religious leaders. I also liked that the author stressed that Christ didn't confront them just to make people angry, but to stop people from turning away from God.

Being the first book I have read by this author, I did find this book a little wordy and would not consider this light reading. However, I did enjoy the content and I did learn from the principles. I found that the applications of this book could be missed without reading the prologue and epilogue.

Homeschooling More Than One Child by Carren W. Joye

Whether you are new to homeschooling or a veteran homeschooler this book would be one for your bookshelf. This book focuses on the challenges of homeschooling two or more children. Carren Joye author of A Stay-at-Home Mom's Complete Guide to Playgroups guides you through homeschooling more than one with everything from picking the right curriculum, schedules, support groups and much more. There are 14 chapters of endless information and resources; giving you the tools as a homeschooling parent to effectively teach your brood.

I have personally been homeschooling 4 for the past 6 years, and only wish I would have had this book as a resource for those beginning years. Maybe it would have saved me a little heartache and stress. Even after 6 years of homeschooling I found this book informative and helpful and plan to put several ideas to use with my own family. One of my favorite chapters was chapter 13 "staying motivated and preventing burnout "; great ideas for making learning fun and sharing special one on one time with each child. This book not only helps families homeschooling more than one child; but it is a great resource for organizing household chores, discipline, cutting expenses, and socialization opportunities.

Overall, a great book to have if you homeschool tiny tots or young adults. You can purchase your own copy at amazon.com for only $14.95.

http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-More-Than-One-Child/dp/0595342590/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277859989&sr=1-1

Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends Who is in Charge Anyway?

"An ocean can't start without the first drop of rain". This Hermie and Friends DVD is classic Max Lucado style. Freddie the flea has a talk with God when he decides he is too small to be important. God reminds him that all the other garden bugs were not strong and brave in their youth, but they did some growing up with God.
Kids of all ages will love the flashbacks of the bugs in their early years. Parents will love the spiritual applications that can remind their child that God didn't make anybody by accident, and that he isn't finished with us yet. The cartoon graphics and story line are engaging and will even produce a few laughs now and then from viewers. In addition to this the bonus materials included trivia questions, music singalong, and short film on how the Hermie and friends dvd series are created(which I found fascinating and laborious)
Once again a great Hermie and friends film and an important lesson in who is in charge of our lives. My family enjoyed watching this together and loved seeing some scenes from prior DVD series. Overall, a must have for all family video libraries